


Interference

by HyperactiveLectiophile



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Nightwing (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Brainwashing, Court of Owls, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Feels, Hurt No Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-02-28 22:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18765838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperactiveLectiophile/pseuds/HyperactiveLectiophile
Summary: Talon is confronted by the Flash, Wally just wants the man he loves back.





	Interference

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to hesitant-vampire on Tumblr who made an amazing comic and inspired me to write this. Check out the comic here: https://hesitant-vampire.tumblr.com/post/184719471669/hahahangst

Talon watched closely as the speedster limped towards him. His head tilted slightly to the side as he examined his opponent. The mannerism was so Dick it made Wally’s chest ache. He wanted to run over and wrap his boyfriend up in his arms, but at the same time, he wanted to scream. Because while the action was familiar, Dick’s expression was completely blank. There was no curiosity or mischief in his once sapphire blue eyes, no small quirk of his lip like he got when he put all his focus on a single thing. All Wally got were a pair of calculating yellow orbs, void of any emotion at all. He wasn’t even sure if that _was_ Dick, or if the thing wearing his face was just trying to mess with him, but he’d be damned if he just gave up on him. Wally took another step forward.

He shouldn’t be standing. They both knew it. Talon had not been expecting to fight the Flash, although he suspected the Grandmaster knew this would happen at one point or another. He had only revealed himself to the bats two days ago, and considering what he had done to their youngest they would be preoccupied with his recovery for at least a little while longer. Talon hadn’t expected them to call in help, it wasn’t their style. The fight itself had been brutal if a bit one-sided. Flash seemed to have no interest in fighting him. Strange, since he was the one to seek Talon out. The assassin did not have those same reservations, he hadn’t held back at all.

Wally kept moving towards Dick, his hand over the scratch marks on his side trying to stop some of the bleeding. There were more on his face and arms. Dick had always been the better fighter of the two of them but this was insane. He noticed Dick's fighting style was different too. There were no wasted movements, all the unnecessary flips and tricks he'd add in for the sheer joy of them were cut out, replaced with cold precision. If the pain he felt was any indicator it was a very effective style. Wally ignored it and kept moving forward.

Talon wasn't sure why he was letting the speedster approach him, but he made no move to attack. Flash was interfering with his mission and anyone who did that was to suffer the same fate as his target, yet Talon knew he wasn't a threat.

“Dick, please.” There it was. Talon was use to victims begging for their lives, desperate pleas made in hopes of survival, but the speedster wasn’t begging for his own life or even the lives of the bats, it was all directed at him. Something prickled in the back of his mind. It had happened with the bats too, but they were his targets. He couldn't engage with them even if he wanted to. The Flash, however, wasn't one. He could indulge the feeling a bit.

There still wasn't any emotion in Dick's face. Now that he was only inches away Wally could see the black veins snaking through his boyfriend's skin. Slowly, he reached out and touched him. Dick didn't flinch or pull away, didn't move at all. That alone was more unnerving than the veins and eyes. Dick should never be this still.

"It's me, Wally. You....You know me.” there’s a tremor in his voice, “Every weekend possible I run to Bludhaven so we can spend it together. We would play video games or go out to eat. Sometimes we just lay down together, you like to count my freckles. I do the same with your scars," there was no recognition in Dick's eyes. Wally broke. Sobs began to tear their way out of his throat and tears poured down his face. He buried his head in his boyfriend's shoulder like he use to do after a rough mission or a nightmare. Only now Dick didn't wrap his arms around him like he was supposed to. He didn't move at all.

Talon didn't know what to do. The emotional display was unexpected. He shouldn't allow the speedster to be this close, but the part of his brain telling him that was getting quieter. Drowned out by that feeling he couldn't describe. He knew that having Flash pressed against him was feeding it, so were his words. The longer he listened on the stronger the feeling became and the fuzzier everything else did. A harsh ache began to form in his skull. Something wasn't right. "Listen to me," he continued, desperation weighing heavy on his voice, "This isn't you. You have to wake up." Talon could feel his suit getting damp from the speedsters tears. ~~Why are you just letting him cry?~~

"Don't listen to them," Listen to who? What was Wally talking about? Why did his head hurt so much? "You don't have to do this. You don't have to serve them."

Suddenly everything snapped back into focus. Flash was trying to get him to betray the court, to abandon his purpose. That simply wasn't possible. He was the Grey Son of Gotham, he only existed to do the courts bidding. There was nothing else. Flash was interfering with his mission and anyone who did that was to suffer the same fate as his target.

Wally was shaking as he clung to Dick, "We need you. I-" his voice cracked, he gulped down a breath, "I need you."

He felt an arm wrap around his waist, holding him steady. Instantly his body relaxed in the familiar sensation of Dick holding him, too overwhelmed to notice Talon draw one of his blades. Wally let out a shaky sob, "Don't...Don't leave me."

Talon paused for a moment, the same feeling from earlier flaring up in his mind, and then brought down his knife.

\------

Talon ran. It was one of the few privileges the court gave him. After he completed a mission he was allowed to roam around Gotham for a couple of hours. Those were the times Talon felt most at peace, running along rooftops, darting between shadows. It came as naturally to him as flying.

This time his mission took him to Bludhaven. Some Gotham politician was visiting the city and it was the perfect opportunity for the court to strike. The mission had been laughably easy, leaving him with plenty of time to explore the city. Talon could never grow tired of Gotham, but it was nice to have a change of scenery.

As he ran Talon found himself navigating the city with ease. Knowing exactly where to find his next perch, or how far a jump would be without looking. He didn’t remember ever being in this city before, yet he knew it just as well as Gotham. Talon shoved those thoughts out of his mind before that feeling came back. He still couldn’t fully identify it, but he knew that it led to pain. He emptied his mind and let his body take over, operating off of muscle memory and instinct. After about half an hour Talon found himself on the balcony of an apartment in one of the shadier parts of the city. He stopped, Talon hadn’t realized he’d been running through the city with a destination in mind until he reached it, but he knew that’s what had happened. Why did he come here? That feeling began to creep into his mind again, pulling him towards the apartment. Before he could banish it again something clicked in his head.

Familiarity.

That’s what the feeling was, or at least it was part of it. A sharp pain stabbed through his skull. He didn’t flinch, Talon was better than that, but god he wanted it to _stop_. His instincts screamed for him to get somewhere safe, somewhere away from the pain. But instead of heading towards his meeting point with the court, he found himself opening the window to the apartment. Part of his mind screamed that this wasn’t right, that the court would punish him for his actions, but the other part egged him forward, that the apartment was safe, that he belonged there.

No, this was ridiculous! He belonged with the court, not in some shitty apartment in Bludhaven, or with the bats, or even with the speedster. He belonged to the court!

And the court had given him the freedom to roam this city, to explore. He wouldn’t get in trouble for looking a bit more closely. Besides this feeling was getting in the way of missions. If he could figure out its cause he could figure out how to make it stop. By doing this he was serving the court. Talon kept that thought in his mind as he entered the apartment. Somehow this made things both better and worse.

A sense of warmth washed over him, he felt….he felt _safe_. Safer than he ever felt with the court. ~~He felt home.~~

The other half of his mind screeched that this was wrong. He shouldn’t be here. It was dangerous and the court would punish him. He needed to leave immediately before more damage was done. He shoved both lines of thinking down and surveyed the apartment.

It was small, and a bit of a mess. Some of it was the type of mess you’d expect in a place someone lived. Clothes were strewn about, there was a box of cereal left on the counter, a lot of the apartment looked like it hadn’t been touched in months. There were also things you wouldn’t expect to find in a normal apartment. One of the closets had an evidence board set up in it, a variant of batarang stuck out from under the couch, there were skid marks all over the floor.

 _“Every weekend possible I run to Bludhaven so we can spend it together.”_ Talon scowled in a rare show of emotion. His encounter with Flash had been a week ago, and for some reason, his mind kept wandering back to it. While unexpected, Flash was no different from any other target he’s killed. If anything Talon should be proud of his accomplishment, the Grandmaster certainly was. By all logic, this shouldn’t be happening. Even with the Flash’s odd behavior, the way being near him brought on that feeling, ~~how it hurt to see him cry.~~  

As he thought, Talon found himself wandering the apartment, eventually finding his way to the bedroom. He looked around, trying to find anything to distract from the horrible throbbing in his skull. Then his eyes fell on a small polaroid picture on the nightstand. He blinked and picked it up. The photo was worn from age, with a few small water stains on it, ~~tears~~ ~~.~~ It depicted two figures. One was the Flash, Talon didn't know how he knew but he was sure that the redhead in the picture was the same one he'd run into a week ago when he killed him. He was smiling widely, tears in his eyes from laughter. His arm was around another boy, this one a bit shorter with black hair and tan skin, bright blue eyes peeked out behind a pair of sunglasses and a mischievous smile spread across his face.

Talon let out a small whimper and clutched his head. The picture was making both sides of his mind shriek. It hurt so much. He couldn’t think, it felt like his mind was at war with itself, he could feel grief, pain, fear, and guilt battling inside his head with him caught in the middle. Talon grabbed the black pen off the nightstand and began to desperately scrawl over the figures in the picture, anything to make the pain **_stop._ **

What was happening to him? Everything was all wrong but he didn’t even know how. It felt so different from when he encountered the Flash, ~~when he stabbed him in the back as he held him, he was only trying to _help_ and he- ~~

Talon let out a cry of frustration and put his face in his hands. It felt damp. There were tears running down his face. Talon hadn’t even known he _could_ cry. He needed to get out of there. The court could help, they could fix him. A talon was not supposed to act like this, to feel these things. Punishment be damned he just wanted the pain to go away.

Stumbling out of the room he went for the window. Images of that night not leaving his head, the speedster begging him to wake up, the shakiness of his voice, his tear stained face, the way Wally had instantly relaxed in his arms even though he had a knife to his back-

Talon froze.

Wally.

Wally who would come to galas even though he hated them just to make them more bearable for him. Who asked for a good luck kiss before every dangerous stunt he pulled. Who stayed up with him when he had nightmares even if he was exhausted. Who swept him up in his arms after missions and spun him around until they were a laughing heap on the floor. Wally, who loved him so much that he’d come to Gotham after he resurfaced as Talon, despite the danger, and tried to bring him home. 

Dick fell to his knees.

What had he done?

**Author's Note:**

> The picture described is also by hesitant-vampire  
> https://hesitant-vampire.tumblr.com/post/184655235494/when-your-music-is-in-shuffle-edgy-birdflash-angst  
> Comments and constructive criticism are not only appreciated but encouraged! Reactions give me life.


End file.
